Tech

6 precautions to take with that shiny new hoverboard

So you just got a brand-new hoverboard — a self-balancing two-wheeled board, to be precise — for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus and you're probably wondering about a few things. Like, will it explode?

1. Check if your hoverboard is genuine

A photo of a fake Swagway box provided by Swagway.

Image: swagway

The problem with figuring out whether your hoverboard is genuine is threefold. First, as the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported, "there's no safety standard in place for hoverboards." Second, nobody really knows what a "genuine" hoverboard is; is it one that costs $1,500 or one that is $400? And third, as Mashable learned, bootleg hoverboards look just like "genuine" ones (even the boxes look damn close) and unless you open one up, there's no way to know if there's a quality-made battery inside or not. (Faulty batteries have been blamed for some of the reported fires.)

While there's no surefire way to buy a "genuine" hoverboard, there are some best practices you can take, like buying from a reputable hoverboard maker. Swagway, PhunkeeDuck and IO Hawk are three good ones. Razor's Hovertrax is another option. Basically, any company that is willing to put safety as a top priority is likely to be more "genuine" than anything you find off eBay or Alibaba coming directly from China.

Also, if you're buying from giant online retailers like Amazon, make sure the hoverboard is sold directly from the hoverboard maker and not some third-party seller.

2. Where can you ride them?

Are they street legal or are they not? That really depends on where you live. For instance, they're illegal to ride in New York City and in the UK. In New York, you could face fines up to $500 for violating the law, but honestly, we've seen tons of people riding them on sidewalks, in bike lanes and in the streets without a care in the world.

If you're not sure, muster up the courage and ask a local police department.

3. Don't abuse them

This is kind of a no-brainer, but since there are so many wise guys out there, we have to state the obvious. At the beginning, you may find yourself constantly crashing the hoverboard into things. Hoverboards can handle most light bumps, but aren't really designed for tons of abuse (if they are, they kind of suck at it).

Image: Mashable, Jilah Farzaneh

As we've detailed before, the main reason why hoverboards are exploding appears to be battery-related. Hoverboards use lithium-ion batteries — the same kind used in laptops and smartphones. And when you jump on and crash and bump a device with a volatile battery in it — day in and out — you're increasing the likelihood of a fire.

Hoverboards, like all vehicles and personal modes of transportation, need to be treated gently. Don't try to do tricks with it. Don't try to drop down a flight of stairs with it. It's designed to glide you along a smooth road. Do that and only that.

4. Don't charge overnight

Smartphones and other small electronics have conditioned us to charge them overnight, but you definitely shouldn't do the same for hoverboards.

Most hoverboards take around two to four hours to fully charge up. While hoverboards with genuine batteries are supposed to stop sucking up power from the outlet once they're fully charged, it's not worth potentially setting your house on fire while you're asleep. Even if you've taken your hoverboard apart or purchased it from a reputable seller, it's still not worth the risk of charging overnight.

We recommend charging a hoverboard in a spacious area and keeping an eye on it. And maybe have a fire extinguisher handy just to be extra safe.

5. Don't bring them on planes

As hoverboard incidents increase, airlines across the world are outright banning them. Mashable's Cailey Rizzo broke down some of the policies, but keep in mind that they vary from airline to airline.

Before you decide to bring your hoverboard with you, be sure to check with your airline. When in doubt, just don't bring it!

Here are just a few regulations on hoverboards from a handful of airlines:

United: Allowed in checked luggage, but battery must be removed and taken as carry-on

Delta: Not allowed in checked or carry-on luggage

American: Allowed as carry-on only

Southwest: Allowed in checked luggage if battery is under 160 Watt-hours

JetBlue: Not allowed in checked or carry-on luggage

Virgin America: Not allowed in checked luggage

Alaska: Not allowed in checked or carry-on luggage.

Frontier: Not allowed in checked or carry-on luggage.

6. Stop calling them hoverboards

For the love of all puppies and cats on the Internet, stop calling them hoverboards! They don't hover. At. All.

Mashable
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